Chris J Wood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Parthenay
Built on a rocky spur above a loop of the Thouet, Parthenay, in the Deux-Sèvres, has kept one of the best-preserved medieval enclosures in western France. A former stage on the route to Santiago de Compostela, the town is entered across the 13th-century fortified bridge, flanked by towers and extended by the Porte Saint-Jacques, before climbing the Rue de la Vau-Saint-Jacques, lined with half-timbered houses.
At the top, the remains of the castle of the viscounts of Parthenay-Larchevêque bear witness to the power of this medieval stronghold. A sub-prefecture of the Deux-Sèvres, the town has also kept a lively rural tradition, embodied by its livestock market and agricultural fairs, which still punctuate local life.
